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Amber
"...it was the 'juice' or essence of the brilliant rays of the setting sun, congealed in the sea and then cast up upon the shore."
George Kunz (1856-1932), The Curious Lore of Precious Stones
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In the
'Jurassic Park' movies, dinosaur DNA
is extracted from insects trapped in
Dominican Amber, which is actually
about 25 million years too young to
really contain the genetic material
of these avian ancestors |
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Long coveted for its beautiful warm colours, Amber is fossilised tree resin that was created two million to 50 million years ago. Ancient Amber has been with humanity a long time and I am not just talking about its age; Amber amulets and beads have been found in Stone Age archaeological sites throughout Europe. Being traded far and wide in the ancient world, along trade routes our ancestors established before the Bronze Age, Amber jewellery dating back to 2600 BC has even been excavated in Egypt.
The word 'Amber' comes from the Arabic 'anbar', meaning 'fragrant substance'. Coming to us via the Spanish, 'anbar' actually referred to ambergris, the aromatic substance created in the intestines of sperm whales once used to make perfumes. The confusion possibly originates from the fact that they both wash up on beaches and emit fragrances when warmed, as well as ambergris' historic use in jewellery. Please rest assured, no whales were harmed during the writing of this book.
As suggested by the opening quote, Amber has always been linked to the sun because of its golden colours and light weight (making it easy to wear), in addition to being warm to the touch (a poor conductor of heat, Amber feels warm while mineral gems feel cold). Its unearthing in ancient burial sites is no accident. Because of its association with the sun, Amber was regarded as a guiding magical light in the afterlife. For Greeks, Amber was 'elektron', meaning 'sun made'.
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A Mexican
Amber crystal with two
million-year-old leaf inclusions |
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According to their mythology, Phaëton, the offspring of the sun god Helios, begged his father for the right to prove his divine paternity by being allowed to drive the sun chariot across the sky. Giving his son the metaphorical 'keys to the car', things went badly. The earth got cold when he flew too high and then going too low, he accidentally burned most of Africa into desert. His hand forced by Phaëton's poor driving, Zeus, king of the gods, took him out with a lightning bolt. Phaëton's sisters grieved his loss so much that they were turned into poplar trees, forever to weep golden tears of Amber.
Because of Amber's ability to generate a static charge when rubbed, it's from its Greek name, 'elektron', we get the word 'electricity'. In a further nod to its electric personality, the Persians called Amber, 'karabe', which means 'that which attracts straw'. As suggested by its colloquial name 'seastone', Amber floats in saltwater and is collected from beaches on the Baltic coastline, often washing up as far as the British Isles. Romans called Amber 'sucuinum' and it is from this heritage that Baltic Amber is known as Succinite, after its parent Pinus Succinfera, a tree common during the Tertiary period 50 million years ago.
As it is tree born, Amber is classed as an organic gem and this classification includes any gemstone made or derived from living organisms. While I'll try not to blind you with science, it takes eons for tree resin to transform into Amber and like so much in nature, the process is still not fully understood. The process required for tree resin to become Amber involves molecules combining to form something more complex (molecular polymerisation), oil evaporation, heat and pressure. As soon as it's secreted, tree resin immediately begins to harden and actually has various uses, such as the Frankincense and Myrrh given to Jesus by two of the wise kings at his birth.
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Amber & White
Topaz 925
Silver Pendant |
Amber's colour is down to its composition (tree species) and what happened after its secretion. Typically transparent to translucent, Amber comes in a huge range of colours including blue, brown, golden, green, orange, red, white and yellow. While Baltic Amber has apparently been documented in 256 shades, the main colours are broken into three broad groups: old or classic, cognac and lemon. You'll sometimes even see Amber described as 'black', though this isn't really accurate, they are simply the deeper shades of other colours. Since colours don't vary much in price, simply select based on your personal preferences.
Amber often contains glittering natural imperfections and fissures as well as prehistoric inclusions, such as seeds, leaves, feathers, and even insects. Amber with insects entombed millions of years ago is not only highly collectable, but also allows palaeontologists and geneticists a valuable window on the past. The clarity you choose should be down to what you find appealing. For me, a few imperfections that accentuate its natural origin are definitely preferable. As with all gemstones, the way Amber is cut is important as it must be carefully polished to reveal its beauty. Try judging the balance of the tones present, size, finish, shape and proportion in combination with your colour and inclusion preferences. As Amber's popularity can fluctuate with fashion, matching pieces to your individual style is also important. For example, the large baroque (irregularly shaped) leather strung Mexican Amber I brought my wife perfectly suits her personality, but I couldn't see it on my mum, who better suits her Amber necklace.
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Baltic Amber currently accounts for
more than 90 percent of the Amber
used in jewellery |
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With an estimated two-thirds of the world's Amber reserves, Baltic Amber currently accounts for more than 90 percent of the Amber used in jewellery and other decorative arts. Baltic Amber deposits are found in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and Ukraine, and were formed around 50 million years ago when resin from forests in the Scandinavian Peninsula collected in the area.
The heart of Baltic Amber is the Russian port of Kaliningrad, formally the German city of Koenigsberg. Teutonic Knights were based here during the 15th century, ruthlessly controlling the production of Amber in Europe and punishing illicit collectors with the sharp blade of their swords. Today, Kaliningrad is so synonymous with Amber production that it is also known as the Special Economic Zone 'Yantar' (янтарь, the Russian word for Amber). Other Amber sources include Mexico and the Dominican Republic, where tropical Amber is found in the aptly named 'Amber Valley'.
Noble, serene, warm, elegant and ageless are words frequently used to describe Amber's undeniable character. Despite its antiquity and unquestionable beauty, Amber is also one of those gems that is remarkably affordable. This puts Amber within easy reach of collectors clever enough to continue to adore a gem that has been coveted since time immemorial. |
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